Real Sociedad-Barcelona: The superhero Aubameyang and the villain Piqué come to the rescue

“Our scars can destroy us, even when physical wounds have healed. But if we survive them we can transform, they can give us the power to endure and the strength to fight,” says Batman in the latest installment of the saga. the dark knight of Matt Reeves tries to re-illusion the fans, transforming the story in the shadow of the overwhelming trilogy of Christopher Nolanin the same way that Xavi tries to do it, supporting comparisons with Pep Guardiola, to rebuild the destroyed temple.

Robert Pattinson It is not Christian balein the same way as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang It is not Leo Messi. But the Gabonese striker, accustomed to celebrating by imitating superheroes, returned to recover the superhero cape that seemed to have been left at the box office of the Santiago Bernabeu. And Piqué, to whom the San Sebastian public gave him the role of villain and whistled from the moment he touched the first ball, showed that he is still essential.

goal pose pic.twitter.com/BcIMDg13OC

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) April 21, 2022

As in ‘The Batman’, Barça has alternated since the beginning of 2022 lights and shadows: good and bland moments, weak moments, hopeful moments. Aubameyang had given vitamin G to a Barça that had lost scoring muscle. He had contributed 9 goals in his first 11 games, including the brace at the Bernabéu. But after a month and a half of madness, the break stopped its enormous production in its tracks. He had only achieved one goal in the last five duels in which Barça had seen their dreams of conquering the Europa League and LaLiga evaporate.

But in the cinephile San Sebastián he returned to monopolize the spotlights. At 10 minutes and just 10 seconds after the post spat out the shot from his friend and squire Dembélé, Auba flew like Batman to head the 0-1. He thus equaled memphis as top scorer in all competitions. He was about to sign a double in a counterattack in which his shot went wide.

If Barça had missed his goals, they had also keenly noted the absence of Piqué. Injured in Frankfurt, which had been the undisputed protagonist of the week due to the controversial audios about the Saudi Arabian Super Cup, he was looking to be in the news again on the pitch. The public from San Sebastian gave him the role of villain and whistled at him when he touched his first ball. After missing the last four games, he returned to being a starter but after half an hour he gave the scare in a fall.

“There was a time when we prayed that Piqué would not fall. If he was injured, the invention would be dismantled, it would fall,” he sentenced Tito vilanova in 2011, the year of the filming of ‘The Dark Knight: The Legend Rises’. Some words that, more than a decade later, are still valid. Xavi sent Eric to warm up, who ended up coming in for the injured Araujo because Piqué was reborn and was providential, throwing himself like a twentysomething to herd a very dangerous shot from Januzaj. Eight minutes from the end, he left with another loud whistle but with the mission almost accomplished, despite the 10-minute extended version decreed by the referee that added suspense to the film.

“When these games get complicated, it’s time to be aggressive. It’s a triumph of team and heart,” Alba said. Xavi applauded the effort but not the game. “Satisfied with the victory, crucial for the future of the club but not for the game. It’s not the way”, considered the coach.